Electric toaster construction



Sept. 22, 1970 I J T1 R 3,530,279

ELECTRIC TOASTER CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 6, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FT Z. 59 5% 44 /5 j ulmim I v I a l I lnventpr James AOtt'mSer Qttorneg p 1979 J. A. OTTINGER 3,530,279

ELECTRIC TOASTEZR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 6, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnventor dames A. Ott'l'nger' b yfif Attornqy p 1970 J. A. OTTINGER 3,530,279

ELECTRIC TOASTER CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 6, i969 3 Sheets-Sheet s m J'Um HIIHIHI llllHlllll |||||||H|l Winn! IIHIlllIIIIIIIIIHIIHIIHHIW w I] h. W

Inventor James A. Ottmger Attorngq United States Patent US. Cl. 219-542 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electric toaster construction wherein an electric heater card 64 is sandwiched between two heater frame assemblies 28 and 3t) and a base plate 26 so that the heater card 64 may be quickly and inexpensively supported on the toaster.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an electric toaster, and more particularly, to an improved compact, easily manufactured construction arrangement for an electric toaster.

Electric pop-up style toasters conventionally include sheet metal frames and casings for supporting bread guards, heater wires, toaster carriages and other components of the toaster. While these components have been constructed, sub-assembled and assembled in a number of different ways, it is especially desirable that they be sturdily constructed and securely assembled in an electric toaster. It is also desirable to provide an electric toaster which may be manufactured at relatively low cost. It is most important therefore to reduce to a minimum the number of parts required, the number of manufacturing operations to be performed on each part, and the number of operations required to assemble the parts to each other.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved, low cost construction for an electric toaster having a minimum number of parts which may be easily manufactured and assembled to each other. In a copending application of Paul Snyder (6D3800), Ser. No. 789,245 filed Jan. 6, 1969, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, there is disclosed an electric toaster construction wherein a rigid base plate is provided with a plurality of slots and two relatively flexible heater frame assemblies are provided with a plurality of downwardly extending latch tabs so that the heater frame assemblies may be quickly and securely connected to the base plate by snapping the tabs on the heater frames into the slots on the base plate. The present invention is concerned with such a toaster.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one of the aspects of this invention, a rigid base plate is provided with a slot, a pair of sheet metal heater frames are fixed to the base plate on opposite sides of the slot and an electric resistance wire heater card is sandwiched between the heater frames and the base plate. To achieve this, a lower connecting portion of the heater card is positioned in the slot formed in the base plate and an upper connecting portion of the heater card is sandwiched between the top walls of the heater frames. Accordingly, the heater card is conveniently held on the toaster between the heater frames and in the slot formed in the base plate.

3,530,279 Patented Sept. 22, 1970 With this unique arrangement, the electric heater card is connected to the electric toaster without the use of a single piece of fastening hardware or other parts not already provided on the toaster. The base plate is simply formed with an additional slot or slots during the molding of the base plate and the heater frames and heater card are suitably shaped and formed during the stamping of the heater frames and the heater card.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric toaster construction embodying the invention partly broken away to show details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electric toaster shown in FIG. 1 with the outer casing removed to show construction details;

FIG. 3 is a bottom and side perspective view of the unique heater frame sub-assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heater frame sub-assembly taken substantially on the plane 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of an electric toaster embodying the invention partly broken away to show a heater card connected to the base plate; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a pair of heater frame assemblies.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing and first particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown an electric toaster 2 which includes an inner supporting structure 3, an outer cover 4 and spaced generally vertical end walls 6 and 8. Bread receiving slots 10 and 12 are formed in a top wall 14 of the outer casing.

Toasting chambers 16 and 17 are generally defined by opposed bread guard and heater card sub-assemblies 18- 19 and 20-21, respectively, which guide and toast slices of bread or other food.

As shown in FIG. 1, a bread carrier 22 is movable vertically in the toasting chamber by means of an actuator lever 24, as is conventional in pop-up style toasters. It is to be understood that any of' several conventional actuating and timing means may be used to actuate the bread carrier 22. Also, while I have illustrated in detail only a two-slice toaster, it is to be understood that three, four or more slice toasters may utilize my improved construction to be more fully described hereinafter.

A relatively rigid base plate 26 is provided for supporting one, two, three or more heater frame modules, and as shown in FIG. 2, the base plate 26 supports two heater frame modules 28 and 30. The base plate is preferably formed as a casting of aluminum or other suitable metal.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 5, there is shown a top plan view of the base plate casting 26. As illustrated, the base plate 26 includes a raised central portion 32 for supporting the heater frame modules 28 and 30. The raised central portion includes two side walls 34 and 36 having upper surfaces 38 and 40, respectively, upon which the 3 heater frame modules 28 and 30 may be positioned. The rigid cast base plate 26 also includes integrally formed front and rear walls 42 and 44 for also supporting portions of the heater frame modules.

A centrally positioned raised portion 46 divides the raised central portion into two enlarged openings 48 and 50. conventionally, the enlarged openings 48 and 50 permit bread crumbs and other material to drop below the toasting chambers.

As shown in FIG. 2, four pairs of slots 54-56 are provided for connecting the heater frame modules 28 and 30 to the base plate 26.

As shown more particularly in FIG. 3, each of the heater frames 28 and 30 includes a top wall 58 and integrally formed depending side walls 60 and 62. The frames are preferably formed of sheet metal or other suitable flexible material which may be readily bent and formed to the desired shapes.

In accordance with my invention, a centrally positioned heater card 64 is sandwiched between heater frame modules 28 and 30 and the base plate 26. The fiat electric insulating heater card 64 may be formed of sheet mica or other suitable insulating material, and as illustrated in FIG. 5, suitable notches 72 are formed at the opposite edges of the heater card 64 and a resistance wire 74 is wound on the card and held in the notches 72. As shown more particularly in FIG. 5, slots 66, 68 and 70 are integrally formed in the central raised portion 46 of the base plate for receiving and supporting a lower connecting portion of the heater card 64.

Downwardly projecting connecting tabs 76, 78 and 80 and upwardly projecting connecting tabs 82 and 84 may be formed on the heater card at the same time that the heater card is being stamped to provide the notches 72 and other tabs and notches.

In accordance with my invention, the upper portions of the heater frame modules 28 and 30 are also uniquely stamped and shaped for providing an electric toaster which may be readily constructed using a minimum number of parts and connecting devices. As shown more particularly in FIGS. 2 and 6, the adjacent portions of the top walls 58 and 59 of the heater frames 30 and 28 are in abutting relationship with respect to each other, and in order to receive the upper portion 82 of the centrally positioned heater card 64 mating notches 86 and 88 are formed in the heater frame modules 28 and 30 respectively. As shown more particularly in FIG. 6, when the heater frames are held in abutting relationship to each other, the notches 86 and 88 cooperate to provide a slot 90 for receiving the upwardly extending tabs 82 and 84 of the centrally positioned heater card 64.

With this construction, the centrally located heater card may be quickly and readily assembled to the toaster by simply connecting one of the heater frame assemblies 28 to the base plate 26. Then the heater card is connected to the base plate 26 by positioning tabs 76, 78 and 80 of the heater card 64 into slots 66, 68 and 70 in the base plate. The other heater frame assembly 30 may then be readily snapped into its position on the base plate 26. It can be appreciated that when the two heater frame assemblies 28 and 30 are positioned on the base plate, their mating notches 86 and 88 form the slot 90 which holds the upper portion of the heater card 64. With the uniquely formed heater card, base plate, and heater frames the components are connected to each other without the use of a single separate fastening piece of hardware. The entire construction thus far described is made by designing the parts so that the heater card 64 maybe sandwiched and held securely between the heater frame modules 28 and 30 and the base plate 26.

As shown more particularly in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, brackets 92 and 94 may be provided on opposite sides of the slot 90 for securely holding the upper portions of the heater frames. The brackets 92 and 94 may be made of flat pieces of sheet metal which 4 are simply positioned on top of the end portions of the flat upper walls 58 and 59. Then the end portions 96 of the brackets are turned under to grip the lower portions of the top walls 58 and 59 to securely hold the top walls of the heater frames 28 and 30 together in abutting relationship.

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that my improved electric toaster construction includes a minimum number of relatively easily manufactured subassemblies. The heater card may be stamped in a single operation to provide the notches 72 required for supporting the electric resistance wire 74, the tabs 76, 78 and 80 on the lower connecting portion of the heater card and the tabs 82 and 84 on the upper portion of the heater card. Likewise, the slots 66, 68 and which are formed in the molded base plate 26 are integrally formed in the base plate at the same time that other slots and tabs are being formed in the base plate. In addition, the notches 86 and 88 in the upper portion of the heater frames are formed at the same time that other slots and tabs are being stamped into the heater frames. The only pieces of connecting hardware which are utilized are the brackets 92 and 94 which may be provided to hold the upper portions of the heater frames 28 and 38 to each other. Thus, an exceedingly simple yet sturdily constructed toaster has been achieved.

What I claim is:

1. An electric toaster construction comprising:

(a) a rigid base plate having a slot formed therein;

(b) a pair of sheet metal heater frames defining a pair of toasting chambers, said heater frames being fixed to said base plate on opposite sides of said slot;

(c) an electric resistance wire heater card having electric resistance wire means for toasting positioned thereon, said heater card having an upper connecting portion;

(d) each of said heater frames having a top wall and depending side walls;

'(e) the upper connecting portion of said electric re sistance wire heater card being sandwiched between the top walls of said heater frames, and the lower connecting portion of said electric resistance wire heater card being positioned within the slot formed in said base plate whereby said heater card is conveniently held on said toaster between the heater frames and the slot formed in the base plate, and the electric resistance wire means on said heater card is positioned to transmit heat to said pair of toasting chambers.

2. An electric toaster construction as defined in claim .1 wherein a bracket is positioned on the top walls of said heater frames for holding said heater frames together in abutting relationship.

3. An electric toaster construction comprising:

(a) a rigid base plate having a plurality of slots formed therein;

(b) a pair of sheet metal heater frames defining a pair of toasting chambers, said heater frames being fixed to said base plate on opposite sides of said slots;

(c) an electric resistance wire heater card having electric resistance wire means for toasting positioned thereon;

(d) a plurality of downwardly extending tabs integrally formed at the lower portion of said heater card, said downwardly extending tabs being positioned in the slots formed in said base plate;

(e) each of said heater frames having a top wall and depending side walls, the top wall of one of said heater frames abutting the top wall of the other one of said heater frames, mating notches formed in the top walls of said heater frames to provide a slot between said top walls of said heater frames;

(f) an upwardly extending projection integrally formed at the upper portion of said heater card,

5 6 said upwardly extending projection being inserted References Cited in the slot formed between the top walls of said UNITED STATES PATENTS heater frames whereby said heater card is con- 2,725,816 55 Hollister 99 401 veniently held on said toaster between the heater 2 47 931 3 195 s i 99 389 frames in the slots formed in the base plate and 5 3,002,075 9/1961 Visos 99-389X in the slot formed between the top walls of the heater frames, and the electric resistance wire means VOLODYMYR MAYEWSKY Primary Exammer on said heater card is positioned to transmit heat US. Cl. X.R. tosaidpairoftoastingchambers. 10 99 389;219 521 536 

